Neema Community Church Has a New Worship Space

GOODNEWS
The Village Church Good News is published
twice a month (printed once a month, online
only mid-month) for all members and friends
of the Village Presbyterian Church. Readers
are encouraged to submit article ideas to: the
Department of Communications, 6641 Mission
Road, Prairie Village, KS 66208, call 913-671-2375
or email [email protected].
online edition
AUGUST 18, 2015
Neema Community Church Has a New Worship Space
T
his August, the 300+ member Neema Community
Church is now worshipping at 621 South Lee
Avenue in Olathe, on what was previously the First
Presbyterian Church. In order to accommodate its
growing congregation, Heartland Presbytery has
arranged for a move of Neema’s 250-seat location on
95th Street
in Overland
Park for
the 600+
sanctuary in Olathe.
“This move
will allow all
members
of Neema
Neema’s new worship space
to worship
together on Sundays as well as find ample parking,”
shares Reverend Dr. David Nzioka. “Ninety percent of
our congregation is Kenyan or Tanzanian, and they
come to church to worship and enjoy fellowship,
experiencing a sense of community. The change will
help nurture the needs of our members and give us
room to grow.”
In addition, Rev. Nzioka foresees expansion of the
congregation as his church focuses on reaching out
to a sizeable Hispanic population in Olathe and also
opens its own food pantry.
Since 2004 when Neema started as an immigrant
church at the Village Church’s Center for Mission on
99th Street, Rev. Nzioka has focused on developing
a multicultural congregation with a mission of
providing an authentic experience with God and
learning more about the love of Jesus Christ. For
many congregants, Neema has been a place to find
community, belonging and healing. Members come
from all over the metropolitan Kansas City area,
including Lawrence.
Like his counterparts at the Haitian Christian Fellowship
and Arabic Christian Fellowship in Kansas City,
Rev. Nzioka brings a keen understanding of the
challenges and opportunities facing many who seek a
new life in the United States. With a Master of Divinity
from Central Baptist Theological Seminary and a
Doctor of Ministry in Missiology from the University of
Dubuque Theological Seminary in Iowa, he not only
provides spiritual leadership, but helps many in his
congregation navigate the American system and obtain
housing while they pursue employment and postsecondary education.
In addition, Rev. Nzioka with his wife Dorothy and four
children maintain very close ties to his birthplace of
Thwake in Kenya. In coordination with the Heartland
Presbytery, he has helped spearhead in his village the
construction of a clinic, water well, Presbyterian Church
and, in May of 2016, the opening of a children’s home.
Village members are invited to attend an open
house at Neema’s new Olathe location from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27.
A team from Heartland Presbytery, including Rev. David Nzioka and Village members Dr. John
Hall and Scott Stanley, traveled to Kenya this past
May to work in the Thwake Village clinic.
MISSION
BackSnack Means the World to Kids Who Don’t Have Food
More than 100,000 children in Harvesters’ service area
receive free and reduced-price school meals during the
week, but are at risk of hunger on weekends.
Harvesters offers the BackSnack
program which provides backpacks
of food to low-income children for
the weekend, to combat weekend
hunger. The program creates a
partnership between Harvesters,
a participating school and a
local corporate, civic or
religious organization.
Harvesters provides the food and
the partnering organization provides
volunteers who assemble, pack
and deliver to the participating
schools. Schools distribute the food
packages to students on Friday who
bring them back on Monday to start
the process again. For the past six
years, Village Church volunteers
have participated in the BackSnack
program and during 2014-15 school
year, Village provided food weekly
to 105 children at Overland
Park Elementary and Nieman
Elementary, totaling 3,045 meals
for the year. Food is generally
packed up on Thursday at the
Village Food Pantry and delivered
on Friday.
Our efforts and the work of other
organizations across Kansas City
are making a difference.
Harvesters hired the Midwest Center for Nonprofit
Leadership to evaluate the impact of the program.
Two groups of stakeholders – students and schools –
were surveyed to determine how
BackSnack impacts students in
seven key areas: grades, attendance,
behavior, health, self-esteem,
responsibility and social skills. Key
findings of the evaluation are: • Absences for medical reasons decreased.
• Science grades increased by 12 percent.
• BackSnack students had 9 percent fewer tardies.
• Student visits to the nurse were reduced by 10 percent.
• Student visits to school counselor or social worker were reduced by 19 percent.
Children reported an increase in
trying new things, meeting new
people, make choices and getting “in trouble” less.
Over the years, Village has helped
pack over 16,500 nutritious meals
through the school adoption
program, food that is critical to
a child’s physical and emotional
growth. One student said, “I love
Backsnacks because they have
healthy stuff like apples and milk
and stuff.” The schools also rave
about the program as they witness,
“much improved behavior” among
their at-risk students.
If you are interested in helping to
distribute meals to our partner
schools during the 2015-16 school
year, please call Amy Turpin at 913-908-1138 (amyjturpin@gmail.
com) or Jane Emley at 913-302-7544.
2
MISSION
Food Pantry
All the children (or most of them) are back at school
and now the Food Pantry is concentrating on their lack
of variety of canned fruit (think peaches, mandarin
oranges, pears, fruit cocktail, etc.) You can help! Put
several cans into the plastic grocery shopping bags
(that the Pantry also needs), and bring them along to
church with you on each visit. For something different
for which the clients are always looking for, how about
mustard, mayo, jelly, vegetable oil – but remember
- NO GLASS. The Clothes Closet is asking for small
kitchen appliances, and large sized clothing for all
seasons. Donations can be dropped off at Food Pantry
bins at Village Church entrances.
Village Church Cooks a Meal
at Cross-Lines On Friday, Sept. 11, Village Church will cook and serve a
meal at the Cross-Lines Kitchen in Kansas City, Kansas. We need four to five volunteers to help cook from 9:3011:30 a.m., and three to four more volunteers to help
serve from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. If you can’t cook or serve,
we also need folks to donate cookies. The cookies can
be dropped off at the church reception desk between
8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10. If you can help,
please contact Marianne Weber at 913-671-2333 or at
[email protected].
Hillcrest Can Use Pots & Pans and More!
Hillcrest Transitional Housing of Kansas is seeking
donations of new and gently used kitchenware,
especially pots, pans and
casserole dishes. Hillcrest
provides temporary housing
and case management for
homeless families so they
may become self-supportive
contributors to society. Village Church sponsors
one of Hillcrest’s 28 adult apartments and 10 teen
apartments in Wyandotte and Johnson County. Drop
off your donations at the Village receptionist desk or
at Deborah White’s office by Monday, Aug. 21. Contact
Deborah White, director of mission, at 913-671-2369
with questions.
A Visit with Youth Ambassadors
Youth Ambassadors is an educational work program
designed to empower underserved youth. Young people
from both sides of the state line are hired as ambassadors
of their neighborhoods during non-school hours when
teenagers are most vulnerable to negative influences.
This summer 75 middle and high school age youth
attended the program hosted at the DeLaSalle Education
Center. On July 21, several members of the Mission
Committee observed classes at the center and toured
with executive director Paige O’Connor.
Village Church, in coordination with the Front Porch
Alliance, has helped cover some of the programming
costs in areas such as anger management, crisis
resolution, recognition of impediments to success,
fiscal responsibility, goal setting, healthy relationships,
leadership skills and informed choices.
Youth Ambassadors also provides year round
academic support, teaches soft job skills and helps
each Ambassador set a clear objective for high school
graduation and post high school academic studies or
career. The program is designed to provide a “first job”
experience. Through the receipt of a paycheck, youth
learn banking skills and fiscal responsibility, work place
parameters and personal accountability.
If you would like to volunteer with Youth Ambassadors
or adopt an Ambassador, please send an email to
youthambassadorskc.org.
3
CONNECTIONAL MINISTRIES
Tell Me More About This Church: Conversation with Tom Are
“Tell Me More About This Church” is a special opportunity for those newer to Village Church to spend time with
Senior Pastor Tom Are and learn more about Village Presbyterian Church. This class will be offered in two parts
from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15 (part 1), and Tuesday, Sept. 22, in Room 230 (south end of the building/2nd
floor). Dinner will be provided. Contact Stacy Fischer at 913-671-2334 or [email protected] or cindy.
[email protected] to register.
Child care is available for this event, with seven days advance notice. Please make child care reservations by
contacting Marjean Lindquist at 913-671-2322 or [email protected].
2015 Village Church Conversation Groups
All Are Welcome!
Two things are true: life is better with friends and faith is nourished by conversation. Core Connections is a way
to strengthen faith through conversations while making and deepening friendships. Village Church provides
trained leaders and a DVD video study developed by Pastor Tom Are for these
small groups. Our curriculum serves as a springboard for conversations, while
relationship building remains the priority. Groups will launch in the fall (October)
and subsequent groups will form as needed. Types of groups may include:
couples, men, women and mixed (men & women).
Each individual group will decide frequency, location
and time for meetings. Core Connections is open
to both the congregation and community, so invite
your friends and family. Contact Cindy Wilcox at COMPUTER MINISTRY
913-671-2331or [email protected] to join
Computer classes are free of charge.
a Core group.
Beginner Classes: 1-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 15-Oct. 6;
6:30-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 16-Oct. 7
Intermediate Classes: 1-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 27Nov. 17; 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Oct. 28-Nov. 18
Call Stacy at 913-671-2334 or email stacy.fischer@
villagepres.org to sign up for classes.
MUSIC MINISTRY
Second Thursday Recitals Resume Thursday, Sept. 10
The first concert of the second season of the Second
Thursday Recital Series will be on Sept. 10, in the
Village Chapel. Our guest musicians are Beau Bledsoe
on lute and tenor David Adams performing songs of
John Dowland. The concert starts at 12:15 p.m. Come
early and have lunch at The Village Cup and then
enjoy the delightful artistry of this dynamic duo.
4
A D U LT E D U C AT I O N A L M I N I S T R Y
The Most Fascinating People
Our Summer Sundays series concludes on Aug. 23 with a lesson about Mattithaiah, Shema,
Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah (Nehemiah 8) –
taught by Sarah Are.
The Fall 2015 Village U catalog is
now available, and class registration
is open! You may enroll for all
courses online at http://villagepres.
org/ministries-programs/villageu-community-classes/, by email
([email protected]),
by calling Marianne at 913-671-2333 or in person in
Room 119 at Village Church. If you have questions,
contact the Adult Ministry Office at 913-671-2333.
Fall 2015 Village U programs offer a wide umbrella
encompassing all our learning opportunities in one,
easy-to-find location.
Village U Highlights:
Sermon Conversations, 5-6 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 9-30, in Room 232
Michael and Diana Bay will lead conversations of
Rev. Tom Are’s 2012 sermon series “Free To Be Me.” There is much talk of freedom in our culture and
around the world today. But what does it mean
to be free? The Gospel provides an insight that is
life-giving regarding freedom. Jesus said, “You shall
know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Each
Wednesday, participants will view and discuss a
sermon in this series. Village Talk, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, in the Village Chapel
Host Brian Ellison will interview our guest
Ambassador Allan Katz, a distinguished professor of
public affairs and political science
at UMKC. Ambassador Katz is one
of the founders of the Kansas City
Chapter of The Village Square,
an organization whose goal is to
engage in dialogue,
build connections and
seek understanding about
polarizing issues, even
while disagreeing.
School of Theology, 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 23-Nov. 4, in Room 127
Rev. Dr. Lonnie Lee, one of Village’s
most popular teachers, brings the
wisdom of his years as a senior pastor
and his lifelong interest in history to
Village. In this class he focuses on the
development of the Christian tradition
in America by looking at the religious
landscape of colonial Virginia. Marked by a surprising
degree of diversity, this patchwork quilt of church life
helped to create a religious and cultural ethos that led
to the uniquely American concept of the separation of
church and state. Reading resources will be provided.
Fall Adult Sunday Morning Classes
9:30 a.m.
Cloud of Witnesses class, led by Rev. Dwight Tawney,
will study Searching for Moses Sept. 13-Oct. 25 in
Room 127.
The Faith Journey class believes it’s important to
all of our faith journeys to grow from listening to
the insights of others. Our format is to use book
studies, guest speakers, and videos to explore new
perspectives and our own beliefs. This fall we’ll be
led by Judy Matthewson in a video exploration of
the tenets of Buddhism. Our first book study will be
Marcus Borg’s Convictions: How I Learned What Matters
Most. Faith Journey meets in Room 230.
Growing Together class begins the fall term by
viewing and discussing the Frontline video series,
From Jesus to Christ in Room 132.
The Village Forum class will be led by Gus Breytspraak
on Sept. 13-27 and will study Short Stories by Jesus in
Room 126.
10:45 a.m.
Inquirers will have their initial class meeting on Sept. 13 with get-acquainted activities, an overview
of study topics, introduction of the first study topic
and refreshments. From Sept. 20-Nov. 22, the class
will study Marcus Borg’s acclaimed book, Reading the
Bible for the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously but
Not Literally, in Room 124.
5
PA S T O R A L C A R E & C O U N S E L I N G
“Caring for Those Incarcerated and
for Those Whose Loved Ones are
Incarcerated”
Stephen Ministers Offer Continuing
Education Presentations
On Thursday, Aug. 27, Ernest Jones from Prison
Ministries/Salvation Army will talk about caring for
those who are
incarcerated or
for those who
have a loved one
incarcerated. This
presentation is
sponsored by
Stephen Ministry and
is open to the congregation and the public. It will be
from 5-6 p.m. in Room 228. Please join us.
Are You Searching for a New Job?
The Career Center classes can help you plan and
conduct your job search in today’s job market. We’ll
show you how to find job openings, how to approach
these employers, and the difference between just
“looking for a job” and “conducting a planned step-bystep job search.” The next series begins at 6:30 p.m. on
Monday, Sept. 14, in Room 232. If you want to register
for these classes, contact Linda Alley at 913-671-2327
or [email protected].
Growing Through Grief – New Series Starts Sept. 9
Grief can be overwhelming. If you are grieving the death
of a loved one, please know you are not alone. The
Care and Counseling department wants to support our
members and anyone who is facing this difficult time by
offering a five-week class, Growing
Through Grief.
Join us to learn more about the
grieving process, meet others
who understand your struggles,
and be reminded that God is with
us through even the hardest of
moments. The classes include
helpful (optional) reading from
Understanding Your Grief – Ten
Essential Touchstones for Finding
Hope and Healing Your Heart, by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D.
The series is offered at no cost and includes your own
copy of the book. Registration is required.
The next series runs from Sept. 9 through Oct. 7, 6:30-7:45 p.m. every Wednesday in Room 124.
Contact Linda Alley at [email protected] or
913-671-2327 for more information or to register.
PREBYTERIAN WOMEN
Bonjour! Presbyterian Women invite all women of the church and guests to join
us for complimentary crepes and refreshments from 9:30-10:30 a.m. on Wednesday,
Sept. 16, in Rooms 232 and 233.
Our annual Presbyterian Women (PW) fall event, “Crepes and Conversation,” offers
the opportunity to enjoy a make-your-own crepes bar with delicious toppings. You
will also learn what is happening in PW, visit with friends, and we hope you find a
comfortable group of women to grow with in your faith.
Repeating the success of last year’s event, “Crepes and Conversation” coincides with
the Shawnee Mission East SHARE program’s Renovation Sensation Homes Tour.
Optional Homes Tour tickets may be purchased at Hen House ($25, if purchased
before Sept.16). Plan to find a carpool at our gathering and tour five lovely renovated homes, located nearby.
Child care is available with advance reservations, and will be open until 1 p.m. Please contact Pam by Sept. 9 at
[email protected] or 913-671-2352 to make your child care reservation.
We kindly request your RSVP by Friday, Sept. 12. Click here or send an email to Julie Foster at foster.julie@icloud.
com. We look forward to meeting and visiting with friends, both long-time and new.
Amis, crepes et la joie! Bienvenue!
6
C H I L D R E N & FA M I LY M I N I S T R Y
Traveling Day Camp 2015
Traveling Day Camp the last week in July
was a total blast. Fifty-eight children
enjoyed activities like Bible Study, Glob
Tag, Four Square in the Air, Gaga Ball,
volleyball, archery, obstacle course,
all kinds of water games like slip and
slide, Drip, Drip, Drop, crafts (where
Dortha Hargadine and Janet Bates have
volunteered three years in a row), Bible
baseball and more. Age ranges were
kindergarten through 6th grade. Our
thanks to our friends at Southminster Presbyterian Church for
hosting us this year as we are in the middle of construction.
Special thanks to photographer Erin Thomas for capturing the
fun with these great pics.
Get ready for Back to School!
Regular Church School classes (Preschool and
Kids’ Kingdom) resume Sunday, Sept. 13. There
will be no Church School for the elementary
grades on Sept. 6 (Labor Day weekend).
YOUTH MINISTRY
New Year, New Unit in Kids’ Kingdom
The Elementary aged students will start off the
new school year learning favorite stories from the
bible with units on creation and prophets of the
Old Testament.
Volunteer Opportunities
Don’t miss your chance to help grow the faith
of our children. There are still opportunities to
teach in the Two-Year-Old and Three-Year-Old
classrooms and in Kids’ Kingdom (5th Grade
Teaching Team). Call Cheryl at 913-671-2355 for
more information.
Looking Ahead at Village Church
Preschool…
August has arrived and
we are busy preparing
for the upcoming school
year. Our annual “Get Acquainted Parties” and
Parent Orientation Meetings are scheduled for
Thursday, Sept. 3, and Friday, Sept. 4. Preschool
classes will begin on Sept. 8 & 9. We can hardly
wait! Enrolled families will be receiving details
in the mail this month. We still have a couple of
openings. Call 913-671-2338 if interested.
Mark Your Calendars - Youth Sunday, Aug. 30
All summer long our youth have not only had youth group
and other events here at home, but have also traveled to
different locations for the sake of helping others, learning
about their own spiritual journey, and discovering the
ways God is at work in a world much larger than their
own communities at home. On Sunday, Aug. 30, Village
youth will lead worship. We’ll hear just a small sampling
of those experiences, such as the Village Voices choir tour
to Oklahoma, the big mission trip to New York where our
young people worked on three projects while on Long
Island all related to Hurricane Sandy relief, and the high
school trip
to Montreat
Camp and
Conference
in North
Carolina.
7
VILLAGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (USA) • 6641 MISSION RD • PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208 • 913-262-4200 • VILLAGEPRES.ORG
GOODNEWS
PERIODICALS POSTAGE
PAID AT KC,MO
GOOD NEWS: Highlights for the life of your Village
Church (ISSN 1542-1090) Published by the Village
Presbyterian Church USA monthly 6641 Mission
Road, Prairie Village, Kansas 66208-1799 Periodicals
Postage paid at Kansas City MO POSTMASTER: Send
address changes to GOOD NEWS: Highlights for the
life of your Village Church, 6641 Mission Road, Prairie
Village, KS 66208-0050
AUGUST 18, 2015
Vol. 52, No. 16
Village Commitment Corner
VPC Service Times
Traditional — 8, 9:30, 11 a.m.
Because of your generosity…
In Friendship Hall
The Gathering — 10:45 a.m.
In the Youth Loft/Room 333
Radio Broadcast
Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on
1660 AM KMBZ,
The Business Channel
villagepres.org
… Vacation Bible School “Camp Discovery” took place July 13-17.
More than 188 children participated and learned that Jesus works in
and through us! Mission projects through-out the week supported
Blessings Abound, City Union Mission, Cross-Lines, Operation
Breakthrough, Talk, Read & Play and the Village Church Food Pantry.
8
Food Pantry & Clothes Closet
Drop-Off Hours
10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. M-F
6–7:30 p.m. Thursday night
9:30–11:30 a.m. Sat. morning